As an online catering business, there are numerous different opportunities you could potentially harness - however, knowing where to start can sometimes feel a little difficult. One of the biggest factors you’ll need to weigh up, of course, is your choice of menu; this may not be quite as straightforward as it seems on the surface. 

In line with this, today, we’re looking at some of the key tips you should know to craft a diverse menu for your online catering business. 

Why is a Diverse Menu Important for Online Caterers?

When it comes to your online catering business, there are numerous critical reasons why creating a diverse menu is so important. This allows your brand to cater to a wider range of customer preferences, accommodating various dietary restrictions, tastes, and cultural backgrounds - all of which are important for customer retention and attracting new people. Doing so also helps give your brand a USP that can set it apart from the competition, allowing you to encourage more people to try your menus. 

Of course, one of the biggest struggles many people face when trying to choose somewhere to dine is finding a business that caters to every member of their group. As such, a diverse menu can also provide this, increasing the number of valuable group orders your brand achieves.

And finally, it’s well worth noting that diverse menus can encourage customers to return time after time. While many people have their firm favourites, others will want to try something new each time they dine. A diverse menu can accommodate this, encouraging better repeat business. 

Common Mistakes When Crafting a Diverse Menu 

Crafting a diverse menu can offer a lot of great opportunities, but it’s vital that doing so doesn’t compromise the success of your business. Trying to do too much can put you at risk of two major issues:

• Not having enough staff or suitable facilities to handle cooking for so many different menu items at once (resulting in late food deliveries)
• Not having staff skilled in each particular dish, thereby risking some menu items being disappointing to customers

In the end, if you’re going down the diverse menu route, make sure not to bite off more than you can chew! After all, your customers deserve the best, and they likely won’t settle for anything less.

Tips to Successfully Create a Diverse Menu

When creating a diverse menu, the following tips could be a big help:

• Choose a manageable number of menu items

• Ensure your staff are fully trained in creating each item
• Try to keep the main ingredients of each item similar to reduce wastage or spoilage of ingredients while changing out the main focal ingredients
• Ask customers what menu items they would like to see
• Rotate less popular menu items to find a range your customers enjoy
• Try to be open to customised dishes or switched-out ingredients (e.g. chips versus mashed potato); it’s more work, but if you can cater to it, you’ll likely boost your reputation 
• Remember: you can’t do it all, no matter how hard you try!

Final Thoughts

Crafting a diverse menu for your online catering business can sometimes seem challenging, but plenty of opportunities could make this a worthwhile and practical option. And, provided you know where to start, creating a diverse menu can offer a world of benefits for your brand overall.